A Shadow of Flame
by Poe's-Raven
Summary: AU. In today's world, the X-Men are not thought to be real people, no matter how much some wish. Are they right? Only partially... for Hokage, the mutant group, was born 75 years ago. CANCELLED
1. Call Me Ensei

--Poe Note--  
  
This is an AU fic- Alternate Universe. This means it involves the X- Men characters, but some **HUGE** plot differences. In this story the setting is the present, the events that have happened in the real world apply. As far as the general public knows, the X-Men are comic book/ cartoon/ movie characters and do not exist in real life. Some of the characters in my other stories will be in here, but you don't need to read them to understand- this is a stand-alone fanfic.  
  
No matter what you feel, I ask that you please review! Flames are greatly appreciated!  
  
Now that I'm done rambling I'd like you to enjoy!  
  
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A Shadow of Flame  
by Poe's Raven  
  
I'll admit it- I was weaned on Nightcrawler. No, No! Not that way, you sick-minded person, you! I mean, seriously, I've fallen for him since July 17, 1987- which, might I add, was the day I was smacked in the rear so that I could take my first breath. In other words, my birthday hails from then. A minute after midnight.  
  
I guess it was a bit strange, especially since my parents knew next to nothing about the X-Men. Ever since I could read, I'd trot down the block to the public library and immersed myself in comic book collections. I'd flop in the faded honey-lemon coloured bean bag and read _Spiderman_, _The Green Arrow_, and even some old _Captain America_ from the dregs of World War 2. Yet, the thing I cut my eyeteeth on was the one and only _Uncanny_- _Uncanny X-Men_, that is. And _Excalibur_, too. I was hooked. And that's also how I got my name, Ensei.  
  
No, it's not Japanese, Chinese, Swahili, or any of that. In fact, it originally came from English. I remember- I was four, the librarian (you know, the one who always seemed to smell like poodles even though she owned three cats, the one who must have been two hundred and fifty- that librarian) would always sit with me watching me read. I guess it intrigued her that I'd already been visiting the library for some two years prior even to that, and that my book choice was not of the See Spot Run variety. Occasionally I'd have a word that I needed help reading or a translation (though by this point she'd taught me how to use a dictionary) and she'd always be there, helping me and watching.  
  
But that day, Miss Marlene Jade Maycomb, head librarian of the Westfield Public Library (who still works there, even today) handed me a small wrapped floppy gift. It was the first issue of Excalibur, in perfect condition. My very own copy!  
  
Which is your favourite? she'd asked. Kitty Pryde? Captain Britain?  
  
In my four-year-old Chipmunk of a voice I squeaked back, Kurtty Wagner.  
  
Hmm, Nightcrawler? Doesn't he scare you at all? Every time she bent down to speak with me, her glasses would always slip halfway down her nose. To be quite honest, this scared me more than the blue swashbuckling demon in the book, as it always seemed that Miss Maycomb's eyes grew whenever this happened. Grew, and changed hue as well, but it was not until several years later that I finally believed myself that it wasn't my own eyes tricking me.  
  
N.C. doesn't scawe me, Miss May-combe. Not at awl!  
  
  
  
Yeah! N.C! Nightcwaler! Cince I like him, I thowt the best thing to do was nick-name him. Then he's my friend.  
  
Heh. Well, you're like him, too. You both are pretty smart, always sneaking up on people who-knows-how, and you both are really sweet under your first impressions.  
  
Den I guess I'm an N.C, too?  
  
Yes, I think so.  
  
Since then, people started calling me N.C. as they overheard the librarian call me by it, then a year later it became Ensei when my kindergarten teacher asked me how to spell it. I was too afraid to tell her where my nickname had originated from, that was Miss Maycomb and my secret only, so I misspelled it on purpose and it's been my name ever since.  
  
When I was in sixth or seventh grade, X-Men Evolution made the TV scene. From the first episode, I fell in love. Especially with that young blue-haired boy from day one. Mr. Wagner made a beautiful appearance in the show- plus i was only three or so years younger than him.  
  
I'll admit I was obsessed with him. In love, even. I guess it was compulsive. None of the guys liked me too much. I always had my nose stuck in some comic, some book, some magazine, some manga. That, plus I was 5'2 and considerably over my height/ weight ratio, as in some sixty pounds over. It never bothered me- even though I had the metabolism of a rock.  
  
Note that I **was** sixty pounds over and that I** had** the metabolism of a rock. Not anymore.  
  
It happened during the summer before tenth grade. I was feeling extraordinarily strange. Even though I was gaining ten pounds from a glass of water, my body went on a hunger rampage. I was never full enough. It was embarrassing, and yet nobody could pinpoint the problem at all. Until one night.  
  
July 16, 2003.  
  
For some reason, sleep didn't come easy to me that night. _Blind Alley_, the episode of X-Men I had just finished watching on the Cartoon Network was still buzzing in my head. I watched the clock tick. 11:17. I was sweating profusely, and I couldn't quite find a comfortable position. Every way I turned seemed to hurt my lower back. It felt like it was stretching- I could hear the sounds of grinding bone and beating heart. the buzzing was no longer from being glued to the screen- I could feel the red hot poker, etching into my skull, reaching out to the cartilage in my ears.  
  
I did finally fall asleep. As I saw the clock click from 12:00 to 12:01, I mumbled a Happy Birthday and fainted from the heat.  
  
--Poe Note--  
Sorry the chapter was short. But you start to get the idea behind the story, no? And if you look on CartoonNetwork.com, you'll see that the episode of X-Men Evo playing on July 16 is indeed _Blind Alley_. Just thought I'd point that out.


	2. Awaken

--Poe Note--  
  
1. I don't own the X-Men, but I do hold hostage over everyone else! Muhahahaha!... Okay, that was weird.  
  
2. I go to art camp in a week. Hopefully I'll get some sit-down time to hand write a few chapters while I'm away. maybe I'll even take the writing course... nah, think I'd rather do video and welding (yes, can you picture Shlomet the half blind girl with a blowtorch? The world is mine!!!!) or maybe costume design- ooh, that was a rhyme and I'm feeling fine. Er, alrighty then.  
  
3. On to other things- I hope everybody enjoys their summer, and just because I may have one or two more chapters then I'm not typing until September means that this story is canceled. It's just on hiatus- but if I get the chance, I may even have a chapter snail-mailed home to be typed and put on by a friend or family member- no e-mail, this place is out in the middle of nowhere, on a farm! No cell phones, either- not that I care, my mom _makes_ me carry the darn thing around. And no cooking for other people, no laundry... hmm, this is sounding pretty good right now. But, also, no Bob and Rikku- the two most adorable guinea pigs (my adorable guinea pigs, of course)- waah, I'll miss those fuzzballs. But my brother has cage- cleaning duty while I'm gone! Yay!  
  
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Being able to fake sleep can really come in handy. Had I not, I might have missed out on the most important conversation of my life.  
  
It was the next morning, and I was drenched in three feet of sweat. The pains from the night before had subsided considerably, but I could still feel a prickling in my ears and a dull throb down the entire of my spine.  
  
I realized quite immediately that I could actually now rotate my ears, much like a cat, and I heard the hushed whispers outside my bedroom.  
  
You aren't serious- are you, Marlene?  
  
  
  
I went into the routine, ducking my head slightly angled, but in addition to all the other things I do to look as I'm sleeping, I also relaxed my ears into my pillow. It felt a little strange, but the prickling had completely diminished. All that was left was to find out why my back was being such a pain in the, well, back!  
  
But- it's not possible! Neither of us are like that, and you said our son isn't either! It runs only in your family!  
  
It runs a tiny bit in every family, Janet. Some things, like change, can never be stopped unless one wishes to die.  
  
And with the creak of an opening door I saw five enter the room. Under heavily squinted eyes, I made out the images of my mom, dad, and Miss Maycomb. Two others were in the room as well and if I didn't have any sense of self-restraint, I would have shot out of my bed immediately, screaming Todd Tolenski and Professor McCoy!' at the top of my lungs. For if I wasn't mistaken (and my sense of judgment was superhumanly right) I was looking at one squatting kid in a Toad costume like the one from Evolution, but, what's more is that the face and the physique of the person matched Todd's to a T. The older man standing next to him was even more telling; he wore ordinary clothes but was covered in a thick layer of blue fur and bore the the body shape (and even haircut, for crying out loud) of the ever famous Beast.  
  
My sheets were lumped pretty tightly around nearly all of my body except for my eyes- just like the way I preferred to sleep, so Miss Maycomb tugged them out of my firm grip.  
  
Does Ensei always sleep like this, Janet? she questioned, motioning to my mom, as she continued to try and pull off my comforter. My mom laughed a little and nodded. Fine then, Miss Maycomb continued, David, some help, please?  
  
The man who I swore was Beast (that is, until I found his name to be David and not Hank) lumbered over to my bed, and with his thumb and forefinger pulled and lifter the blanket clean from my gripping hands and nearly sent me flying off the bed in the process.  
  
And for the first time, Toad spoke and I knew that my other idea had been crushed. Toad had a very recognizable mezzo-soprano voice. A very feminine, recognizable mezzo-soprano. He was actually a she- the current valedictorian of the grade above mine. Dad, that wasn't very nice! You could have... oh, my! The girl, Sarah Balin, had caught sight of me.  
  
She's still your daughter, David (I'm assuming Balin, as Sarah called him Dad') said, quite calmly. This does, however, explain her weight and metabolism problems. Her body was storing fat to use as energy for the reactions that took place last night. She lost a lot of water, and the energy bonds ave broken- nearly every ounce of fat is gone. But it's quite understandable. She grew nearly thirty new bones last night!  
  
My own parents, I saw, were clearly shaking quite a bit. whatever had happened last night to me made me look scary to then, I assumed. Suddenly, a cill went down my spine, a sharp one and it extended off of my back and I felt as if something was poking out, just above my rear- and whatever it was, I had a little control over its movement.  
  
Her tail's muscles and nerve system are starting to activate. I'd say that by the end of the day she could use that thing like a third hand, Mr. Balin said, turning back to my parents. I told you that this would happen. The mutant gene takes on something that defies even the teachings of Darwin- it takes the form one most desires. I was a wimp in high school- a comic book addict- that's why my mutation went the way it did. Your daughter liked X-Men, too, so she became a creature that was created by the comic book world. She has become what she loved, and envied- but a female version of course. The mutant gene does not alter gender.  
  
I'd suggest you let her have five more minutes of serenity before we break the news. Andrew, Janet, we should talk downstairs? Miss Maycomb said, quietly. Everyone except Sarah left my room, and when she saw the coast was clear, she hopped over.  
  
Well, Ensei, I'm sorry I never told you, she said.  
  
How did you know I was-  
  
Awake? Cat's eyes glow in low light when they are open, even if only a bit. Yours did the same.  
  
You know a lot about animals, I said, trying to find out what she was like. Of course I knew Sarah, everyone did; she was a genius. But I didn't know her- and well, if we were in the same boat, I might as well learn to get along with her, if we weren't entirely on friendly terms.  
  
Frogs were always my favorite. Well, my mutation shows it, huh? I never knew about the X-Men until my dad told me.  
  
Yeah, speaking about that- how did you miss that then? How does he go out?  
  
The same way that you'll still be able to. Hokage always has its ways.  
  
Hokage? Fire shadow? I was a bit confued by this. Was it the name of something?  
  
Seems like you know your Japanese. Yeah, Fire shadow. I think the adults would probably do a better job explaining that me, though. Why don't you get dressed and come down, I think that would be best.  
  
You're starting to sound like my mom.  
  
Sheish, thanks for the compliment.  



	3. I'm Not as Blind as You Want

--Poe Note--  
  
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! PS- this story's got a PG-13 rating for some crude language. That's all, for now.  
  
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I sat up, trying to move around a bit in my new body. It was beyond awkward. My entire stance was on different proportions, even though my height felt the same. The weirdest parts had to be my feet and tail. My actual legs had become considerably shorter, but my feet were comically huge, less three toes from only the night before. My hands were also minus two digits each, but that didn't seem to bother me. Yet my tail did pose a problem. I looked at myself at the floor-to-celing mirror across from my bed and saw that it had ripped a hole straight through my nightgown and probably my underwear as well. I was starting to have some considerable control over it now, but it was on the whole, still a useless appendage. I couldn't grip anything with it, not yet. And as I shook my head, my blue fur puffed up like a cat's when it's angry- giving the impression that I was much larger than truth. I was going to have to be careful not to shed all over the furniture.  
  
I tried stepping out of bed, finding myself tumbling head over heels onto the floor. I tried squatting- my new stance made it actually quite comfortable to do so- but I couldn't seem to stand upright. I just kept falling on my rear. Sarah laughed, trying to cover her mouth with her hand.  
  
My legs are out of human proportion, too. It took me a few days to get the hang of walking upright again. Walking on all fours probably feels more natural, huh? Sarah smiled. You may not be able to do much with it yet, but try using your tail as a rudder. For balance, like a Tyrannosaurus. And try walking on the front part of your feet only; keep everything else up off the ground. Your new posture is raptolike- this should keep you from falling.  
  
I tried her suggestions and found it was quite easy to move about. Maybe having a friend who was both a mutant and a genius wouldn't be too bad- even if she was as annoying as Hermionie.  
  
Oh, and your old clothes are most likely too big for you now. You might want to wear what's on your chair instead, Sarah said, as she hopped to my door and opened it. And, by the way, call me Toad when referring to mutancy. We like to keep ourselves anonymous. She stood up, walked out, and shut the door.  
  
I went to my chair, pulled on what was there (just a plain pair of khaki shorts with a hole specially made for my tail and a red T-shirt). Everything seemed to fit as if the maker knew the exact size I'd be in the new body. I didn't think about it at the time, I'll admit, but when looking back on it I can't believe I didn't even ponder on how this Hokage something or other ever even knew.  
  
I walked downstairs, catching glimpses of the conversation in the kitchen.  
  
She should be awake by now. I hope she's not in shock! My poor Ensei! my mom sobbed. She was a worrywart to no end. She probably thought I'd fainted- or strangled myself when I looked in the mirror- or maybe evil mutants kidnapped me- or something stupid like that.  
  
I peeked down to the kitchen, still part ways on the stairs. I said simply. One of the few things that hadn't changed was my voice.  
  
My mother was on me faster than Quicksilver can run, gripping me tight and squeezing me tighter. Her mouth ran faster than his, too. Areyouokay? Ensei, Iwassoworried, youcouldhavedied, youcouldhavestrangeledyourselfwithyourtail... My mom caught her composure and slowed down enough to comprehend her sentences. Are you all right?  
  
I looked Mom straight in the eye. She looked afraid. Afraid to reconcile with the truth that I was who I was now.  
  
Do you feel... different... in any way, honey? She said this as if she thought I hadn't looked in a mirror yet. Even though I was wearing clothes I never would have bought for myself- even though I had to know which way to put on my new shorts otherwise my tail would be seriously cramped- mothers can be so hysterical sometimes. They're afraid to admit the truth to their own children even when it is staring them in the face.  
  
  
  
  
  
I'm not as blind as you'd like me to be.  
  
My mother fell to the floor, exasperated at my remark and crying at my two-toed feet.  
  
Miss Maycomb gave me the evil eye, and i noticed them changing colors. You shouldn't have said that. She already was having a mental breakdown. She picked a strange receiver out of her pocketbook and spoke into it.  
  
  
  
Silence for a split second, then Miss Maycomb spoke again. Foresight? We need some help please. Sara's mother is in critical. I'm calling the delivery service to pick you up now. Pause. Pause. I need you to pick up Foresight, meet me at my current location.  
  
Click.  
  
Miss Maycomb sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, sighing, jaded by the entire ordeal. Ensei, I'm sorry I yelled at you. Your mom will be fine. Could you go open the door?  
  
I was so startled by this statement that I grabbed the key to the front door (quite absentmindedly with my tail, too) and unlocked it to let in a hurricane of some kind.  
  
That stopped immediately before it hit the far wall in the kitchen.  
  
It was a silver haired guy with eye gear carrying a woman not much younger than my mother. Now, forget about the woman. To heck that I cared!  
  
When the boy in the greenish look-alike to XME's Quicksilver's guise removed his smoked dust visor- oh crap, those baby blues were to die for. He shot me a look square in the eye and from one demon to another- damn I didn't even notice the woman pull a bandana off her face to reveal that she had three eyes! Only when the boy's gaze went downward to my hysteric mother did I actually pay attention. The woman he had carried had closed her two main eyes and was unblinking with the third- glaring straight at the forehead of my mom.  
  
And because everything else was a bag of peanuts today, it never for once surprised me that my mom immediately calmed down and went fast asleep on the floor.


End file.
